Picking Baby Names
by Kali Cephirot
Summary: Charlie and Claire talk about Claire's baby and about probable names. Later, they talk about the name. [Spoilers for the first season] [FINISHED]
1. Chapter 1

**Picking baby names.******

- Have you thought of any names for the wee one yet?

Claire stopped writing on her diary, turning her head and smiling towards Charlie. With a half awkward grin, he sat in front of her, digging his feet on the sand.

- For the baby? Not really. – Claire rested her hand over her belly, gifting it with a smile. – I've… been waiting to know the sex, I guess. – she said, changing her mind at the last moment.

Charlie said nothing of it, playing with his ring. He seemed strangely anxious, almost trembling. It couldn't be because of the weather.

- So you like surprises, huh? – he half grinned again. 

- … you could say that, yes. – she giggled softly. The baby seemed to find it funny also (or wasn't amused by the irony): the bump kicked and she put her hand over there.

- Do you want a boy or a girl? Girls are prettier let me tell you… well, not when they're born. – the musician wrinkled his nose. – When they're born, they all are wee red, wrinkled, crying things. But girls definitely get better.

She laughed then; a clear sound that merged with the waves.

- So you've got experience with newborn babies, Charlie?

- Not loads of it, only with my niece… -he muttered, before brightening up. - But look at you! Living proof that my words are full of wisdom.

- Are you joking? I look like something Green Peace would like to protect and deliver again to the ocean.

Charlie just looked at her for a moment, frowning, before shaking his head.

- Not at all. D'you have any idea of what the baby's going to be? – he asked, going back to the name

- I've been calling it a him since we arrived to this island. – Claire said in a whisper as if it was a secret.

- Really? Well, you should never fight your instinct. – he assured very matter-of-factly. – Now… - he paled for a moment, apparently dizzy. Claire made a movement trying to raise, but he stopped her with his hand. – No, no, I'm okay.

- Really? – she still seemed as if he was going to faint at any moment now.

- Flu-ish, I guess. I reckon I'm not made for tropical weathers.

- Are you sure?

- Abso-bloody-lutely. Now… where were we?

- You were saying about the fact that I think my child is going to be a boy…?

- Oh, yes! – He smiled again and the Australian felt herself calming. – I was saying: you should consider only boys' names then!

- I've been doing something like that… well, more like crossing the ones I will definitely not call him.

- Like what?

- For example… - Claire opened her diary again, searching through the pages. She smiled to herself. – Robin.

- Robin? Why?

She giggled softly. –Robin as in Robinson Crusoe. -

Charlie let out a loud snicker at that. Claire continued giggling, even if the baby started kicking again.

- Well, while you're on it I think you should also cross 'Gilligan'.

- Jonas is a big no. – he seemed at a loss again. – If I don't want him eaten by a whale.

- Neither Simbad.

- Nor Ulyses.

- Definetely not Ulyses! Didn't his crew died all in horrible, awful ways and he never went home again?

- Eventually he did go back… but yes, Ulyses is another a big no.

They were thinking in other names they could say when a voice called for Charlie.

- Hey, dude! – Hurley called at him near the way to the caves. – We're going back! You comin'?

- Er… yeah, on a sec! – Charlie turned again towards Claire, grinning completely. He even seemed calmer, although he still trembled a little bit. – Why don't you come? It's nice and fresh and we've got all the water you want.

- I'm fine here, thank you. – she said, gesturing towards her bottle of water and the shadow that covered her. Charlie's brow wrinkled for a moment before he grinned, standing up and dusting his trousers.

- Well, we'll see about that.


	2. After Picking a Name

Suddenly, while Charlie nursed the wound on his head, just knowing that in less than hours half of his head is going to be the proud owner of one impressively massive purple, while looking at the sleeping baby he blinks, turning gray green eyes towards Claire's clear blue ones.

- Aaron.

Claire looks towards the baby again, confirming he's sleeping, and then towards Charlie, slightly frowning.

- What?

He smiles then, softly, in a way that almost doesn't make him seem exhausted. Claire reaches softly, squeezing his hand, so grateful for Charlie to be there because even in such a scary place, he makes her feel safe. Even if she can take care of herself, she is happy that Charlie is there to help her and also to take care of Aaron.

- We never discussed Aaron as a probable name.

He's smiling again and Claire can't help but smile back at him remembering walks along the beach tossing name after name, each one more ridiculous than the other (she can almost hear his mocking serious voice that 'Hendrix' is a perfectly normal name), some late nights besides a bonfire really talking about the probabilities and what's the baby going to like more, pretending not to be in the island since she can't quite bring herself to think that her son might end up growing in the island.

- We really didn't, did we?

- Nope. I think I'd remember it, love. – Charlie's mock serious then, pointing towards the soon-to-be scar. – This isn't that bad for me to forget. Is it a family name?

- No, no, I just… - Claire looks again to her baby. Less than two weeks old and he has been kidnapped. She's afraid of what else could happen, if they stay in that island for much, so she doesn't quite trust to stop watching her son. She smiles at the sleepy face, touches one tiny little hand that instantly curls around her finger. – I heard it… I'm not sure where, actually.

Somehow, this feels like a failure. She should know why she's naming her child because someday he's probably going to ask and then… then what? What' she's going to tell Aaron? But then Charlie's smiling again.

- Do you go to church?

- Used to. – she blinks. Since her mother kicked her out she hadn't go. – My mother… why?

- Aaron was Moses older brother. – he smiles, a little bit ashamed. – He leaded Jews to the Promised Land when Moses couldn't.

She blinks. Somehow, of all the survivors of the island, she'd expected Charlie to be the least religious one. However, the thought does agree with the musician's sometimes shy, repentant eyes.

- That's why you picked up that statue? Are you religious?

Charlie looks at the statue for a moment, before shoving it inside his bag a little more. Claire finds this strange and she's about to wonder why when he's shrugging, somewhat nervous.

- You could say that… in case I'm weak… hey, are you thinking about a second name?

- I'm… not really sure. It's not as if we could have a baptism here. – then she grins at him. – Although I know who I'd choose as a godfather.

- Really? – now he's amused. Charlie turns a little bit towards her and their knees bump together. They wait a heartbeat to see if that disturbs Aaron but when the baby's still sleeping, they look at each other again, grinning in relief. – So… who?

She raises an eyebrow. – You really don't know.

Charlie plays innocence for a moment before grinning, shrugging playfully. If she didn't have arms full of baby, she'd shove him.

- Although I'm flattered Claire, I'd have to say no. I'd be a terrible influence on him. – She doesn't think so. Not when he has rescued him and has been constantly taking care of him and not when Charlie's tucking the blanket around the baby's feet where it doesn't quite reach, smiling softly. - People like me aren't godfathers… you want Jack or Sayid. Or Hurley. Hurleys around the world make spectacular godfathers, I'm sure of that.

- You'd be a great godfather, Charlie. – she loses her smile and looks frantic. In this island every second counts and she wants to be certain, that, in case something happens to her… - Promise me, Charlie.

- What, love?

- If something happens to me…

- No, wait. – now he's the frantic one, tucking blonde hair behind her ear, gray green eyes steady on hers, his hand still on her shoulder. – _Nothing's _going to happen to you, Claire.

- But if…!

- _If_ something happens (and it's _not_, hear me?) I'd take care of him. We all would. But it won't. Don't think about that.

It's not easy. Not when less than two weeks ago, the same day her baby was born, one of them died. A person. Someone they knew.

- I thought about Boone, for his name. – she is saying in a careful voice, and then both of them are looking towards Sayid and Shannon, both somewhat apart of the other people at the cave, not speaking, just curled around each other, holding each other, Vincent at the side. Claire feels chilly and looks at her son again. – I thought about naming him like that but… I don't want any of us to look at him and think about death.

Now's Charlie taking her hand, squeezing it softly, smiling.

- We won't. Aaron's a wonderful name.

Claire sighs softly before leaning her head against Charlie's shoulder, suddenly exhausted. When the ex rockstar leans his head against it, carefully of not hurting her and her baby's hand squeezes her finger, even if there are Others coming for them, Claire smiles.


End file.
